Sun Fun

It's been a while since I last posted. The motorcycle drama has thankfully died down (at least for now while he saves his money) thanks to the purchase of a wii fit and a very competitive father / son duo. It is considered an early gift in honor of mine and Pete's anniversary coming up next week. Oh, I will most definitely have to post some photographs of my unbalanced guys doing the hula hoop. It is quite comical.

But for now I must share the latest happenings.

It has been a whirlwind of a week. One that included lots of eating out (which contributed to a little set back on the scales this morning), and lots of fun in the sun.

Last Tuesday we visited some friend of ours that live on one of Arkansas' beautiful lakes. We took the boat out and did a little tubing, swimming, and snorkeling.

Although I love water slides and an occasional dip in the pool, I wasn't raised too much around water. We managed to visit the ocean once when I was a kid, and would swim in hotel pools while on family vacations. My dad and brother would go on overnight fishing trips, but my mother has a fear of water so she and I would always find something more exciting to do instead of roughing it with the dudes at the camp.....

like shopping.

hmmmm.....camping, shopping, camping, shopping. There was never really any contest.

In the early years of our marriage, Pete was hard pressed to get me to do anything boat, lake, river or camping related, but hey, I've mellowed with age. I guess I'll try anything once....(well, maybe not anything).

I like it.

I like it a lot...especially the part when we take the boat out in the calm of the evening and just enjoy the peacefulness and serenity of God's creation.

and fish.


haha...yeah, we threw him back.

And the beauty of the sunset. It takes my breath away.

Another day we did one of my favorite things. We floated a river that is also near the lake. It takes us about 4 hours from point A to point B, but I find it very enjoyable and relaxing.....(minus the sunburn).


Friday of last week, Pete and I went to a water park in the big city. Little Ann was with a birthday group and we were invited to tag along. It is something we usually do every year at least once without any kids. I know...it sounds cruel, but I can't seem to get enough of those water slides, and I can really let my hair down and be a kid when I don't have to stress over my kids. I tend to do that, ya know.

I've been in the sun so much recently. I think I'm going to turn into one big freckle.

So tell me...what have you been up to this summer?

Last But NOT Least - Proud Moments Part IV

Wow. This post was originally planned for Friday, but as you can see, it didn't happen. My Friday was filled with an end of the year awards assembly for Little Ann, the first day of my weekend yard sale with friends, and a high school graduation in the big city for another graduate on Pete's side of our family. It was a late night. Saturday was more of the same, and Sunday...well, Sunday brought rain and who can resist a nap on a rainy Sunday? And today, I know it's Memorial Day. I pay my tribute to our soldiers...past and present.

And so now, here is my post.

Even though I'm a little behind schedule, I don't want to make light of this proud moment by any means. It is probably one of the proudest moments I have ever experienced aside from the day my Big Dan was born. It's been a little over a week since this special day, but the memory is still so fresh and lingers in my mind as I attempt to adjust to the fact that my little boy is not so little anymore.

He graduated.

My heart was just overflowing with all kinds of emotions the moment he put on this attire. I can't even explain it. I wanted to cry, but I held back tears. Mainly because I had so many people already at my house and it was hectic trying to snap photographs and get there early enough to get good seats. I couldn't grasp the moment then like I had done the night before. I sat for hours watching a slide show of my favorite photographs from days gone by. I watched it a hundred times, and I admit...I sat there feeling sorry for myself for some time, but I needed it. I was able to get most of my emotion under control before the actual ceremony.

What can I say? I love this boy so much. And I am so proud of him for what he is and more importantly what he is to become.


We had a wonderful celebration with family and friends at our home afterwards. It was a night I will always remember. I am so proud.

Catching Up....List Style

I've been reminded again lately that I've been lagging behind in the blogging department. I know. It seems that I want to blog, but by the time I settle in for the night, my brain is too tired to write anything comprehensible. And such is the case tonight, but I'm going to try to fill you in on what I've been up to by way of a list.

1. Friday I accomplished a great task. I actually paid off my van. I was ecstatic. I knew I was in close range when at the beginning of the year I numbered the pages left in the payment book, but God blessed us with a tax return in excess of the amount I still owed as pay off. It is a great feeling I tell ya. So great, that I felt the urge to detail it out, had Pete put on 4 brand new tires, do a brake job, replace a headlight...and today I had the transmission serviced. So!! I'm good for what...at least another 5 years or so, right?

2. Saturday, the Girl Scouts took a field trip to the Arkansas Historic Museum for a tour and a little hands on. I must say it was worth the $6 for the 4 hours they got. Of course, you must know, my Little Ann went in costume courtesy of my mother. I warned her everyone else would be wearing their girl scout tee shirts, but she didn't care. She looks for opportunities to be different. I guess that's a good thing...or is it? Here are a few shots from the day:

They made beautiful music.

Made sweet little corn husks dolls.

The toured homes, stuffed pillows, played with wool and even watched this lady spin.

Little Ann loved it so much, I am feeling a possible Natchez, Mississippi girl trip over Spring Break.

3. Sunday Little Ann had a relapse. She missed 2 days of school last week with tummy troubles. Keep her in your prayers for she has been having some issues and I'm not quite sure what the problem is. I have an appointment made in April with a specialist. Could be allergies, could be other. May be nothing. Just don't know.

4. Today, I made a trip into the big city with a friend. We had put clothes in a bi-yearly consignment sale, and needed to go pick up our checks. I sold everything I took except 2 pair of shoes and a tank! YEA. Now I can go buy more!

5. And last but not least, we finished the night off with baseball. Overall our team is doing excellent. We had 2 more shut downs tonight. The team we played never scored a single run. It's been a great season so far, but Big Dan has been somewhat down. He's been working so hard. Staying late for extra batting practice, and giving it his all, but it seems that during the games, he is just not hitting right now. He wants to take this to the next level SO BAD, and I just hate when he's down on himself. Mom's job is to help him keep his head up though, so I just keep encouraging him and telling him how proud of him I am. (Because I am ...no matter what he does.)

There you have my list. Happy "almost" Tuesday.

I Just Can't Believe..

-that this week is already over and it went fast!

-that I haven't written a blog post since Monday....or read many, for that matter.

-that I only put my 2 cents worth in on a few comment sections instead of having my own vent session over "The Bachelor" episode this past week. Here's hoping Melissa is the last one standing (since he sent Jill home anyway).

-that my puppies are already 6 weeks old and counting, and would you believe I only have 2 left out of 10! God is good. Prayers answered there.

-that Big Dan has his very first Varsity Baseball game on Tuesday!! And this is the first sport I have been privileged to watch so far this year, (he didn't play football or basketball this year) so I must admit, I am PUMPED!! (But not ready to sit in the cold...thank goodness for my buddy heater!)

-that I have bombed my carb diet. What kind of diet is no carbs anyway? Who on this earth can survive without potatoes and chocolate milk? That doesn't even sound right. I'll have to figure out something else that'll enable me to include those 2. Weight Watchers maybe.

-that I got to spend some time with two wonderful college friends this week. And it was the bomb. I smiled so big and laughed the entire day. It's so funny remembering all our good times. Some blog friendly....some not so much. We had conversations that went something like this..."I hope my teenager doesn't do the things I did!" Sound familiar? Thought so.

This big hair photograph would be me and my 2 chickadees at my apartment exchanging gifts Christmas of 1989.

And this would be us...uh....20 years later.

We still got it!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Good, The Bad and The (Definitely Not) Ugly

I guess this will be a hodge podge post, because I've got several things tossing to and fro in my brain just awaiting to get out. Here's some good:

Tonight my parent's came over for dinner and to return my little lost orphan (that I missed tremendously by the way)...not that I didn't enjoy my time alone, but 2 full days became almost more than I could bear. After our meal, I challenged my dad in a game of Wii bowling. It was too funny. I guess you would just have to know my sweet little daddy. I won't use the terms "he doesn't get out much", because that's the farthest thing from the truth. As a matter of fact, he is always on the go, but it's always to drink coffee at the nearest coffee shop, to a cow sale, or to buy an old junk car somewhere. That is the life for him and he loves every minute of it. So to see him playing video games was quite comical. Oh, and for those who I know will notice my Christmas tree is still up...I'm working on it. Really, I am, but I refused to do it when I had my weekend to myself, ya know?

Before long, we had talked my mom into joining in the fun. She admitted she had never been bowling before in real life. She held her own..actually leading on my dad for several frames, but he ended up getting 2 strikes in the 10th frame for a tie. It was probably for the best. It'll keep peace tonight. haha.

Some more good I don't think I've shared with you:
Last Sunday and Monday, Little Ann and I traveled up to visit our besties again a few hours away. Our mutual friend from China was also in visiting and brought his girlfriend for us to meet. I mentioned how he was their exchange student several years ago here. They are currently living in Boston.

We had a great time exchanging some gifts and catching up with each other. We watched "The Bucket List" and did some shopping. My friendgirl was very disappointed in my shopping though. Christmas had wore me out and I just didn't have much energy for shopping at all. I tried to hang, really, I did, and was good until my high heeled boots had gotten the best of me. (I know what you're thinking....self-inflicted).

The Bad:

Even though this happened the day after Christmas, I've chosen not to bring it to the blog yet. There were so many other happy subjects to blog about like presents and babies and New Year's resolutions. Besides, I can't say this has been the most popular thing for discussion in the house lately. In fact, it made for a pretty crappy "post Christmas" weekend.

Yes, this is Big Dan's car and once again, it wasn't his fault. Some guy in his senior class rear ended him last Friday when they went to hit in the batting cages. If I got my story right, it had something to do with a pretty girl driving by and a certain senior with his head somewhere it shouldn't be. Big Dan just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time (yeah, like in front of him). Yet again, all I can say is...this poor car. This poor boy. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to even mention that Santa brought him a brand new spoiler for this car that we can't even put on now until it gets out of the shop again. Poor, poor boy or rather poor momma. Anybody got any xanax?

Ok, enough about the bad...let's get down to the definitely NOT ugly:

If you noticed my blog change, surely you've noticed by now that with that change, I added a little Jason to my sidebar. I can't hardly wait until the new season of "The Bachelor". It premiers Monday night. Like, as in, day after tomorrow's Monday! One thing I have noticed from watching little snippits so far (besides how sweet and adorable Jason is), and it really makes me wonder..what exactly is up with the mucho boobage on these girls? I mean, seriously?

Put them away, please.

Anyway, I will definitely be watching, and looking forward to those bloggers who will join hands with me in comparing notes! lol. I am also hyped up for the new season of "The Biggest Loser" which begins Tuesday night, and I guess I'm going to have to watch "Momma's Boys" online, because I'm thinking it will be on the same time as "The Bachelor". Help Me!! Too much reality TV!

Because I don't ever remember anything...

I love how everyone on my blog roll is reminiscing over the past events of their 2008. I've enjoyed reading the ones I've read so far and plan on catching up with the rest of them soon. I especially loved how this blogger even linked back into her favorite and most memorable blog entries. If I had any kind of imagination, I would've thought of that first.

Although this past year has been filled with it's ups and it's downs for sure, I can't pinpoint the most memorable things as some of you have done. You can read some of my profound thoughts here. I'm sure I've said before, I have a terrible memory and that is one of the greatest reasons I am so glad I started blogging. I have always been a journaler..(is that a word, really?) I have enjoyed keeping the day's events and my thoughts on paper, and love going back and reading what I wrote. I am so thankful I have done this even if there was I time I didn't do it faithfully. If it weren't for my past journals and now my blog, I absolutely wouldn't remember anything.

I just want to take this time to wish everyone a wonderful and very happy New Year. May we continue to grow in our bloggy friendships and say and do lots more things I probably won't remember, but will love at the time!!

Nothing but my Reality Check

I've been in a slight "blogging funk"...if you will...the last couple of days. I think my body and brain are both just exhausted, and I just can't think of anything to say.

It has been rather busy over the holiday break. I just realized tonight while walking down the aisles of the grocery store that the break was almost over. Time passes so quickly. Although Big Dan hasn't been home much (except when it was time to rack up..lol), I have so enjoyed spending this time with Little Ann. We have done lots of shopping, visiting friends, and we've watched lots of movies together.

It currently looks like a tornado hit my bedroom. Last night we blew up an air mattress so Little Ann could sleep in my floor. Her daddy was home and she wanted to sleep near me. Pete wanted to know how long that was going to last, and I assured him only during what was left of Christmas break. I just laughed to myself when I saw him stumble over 3 American Girl dolls in a make shift bed right beside her and about 10 stuffed animals in my floor. It definitely didn't leave much room for walking. As frustrating as her messes are sometimes, I know one day I will look around and wish for something to clean up.

Speaking of Little Ann.....although this has nothing to do with anything, she just came in here and told me she wishes I would have named her "Alice". Don't know what that's all about.

I had a little reality check tonight. One of my best scrapbooking friends' daughter had a baby today , but not only that... Pete's mamaw had back surgery. I love babies. I guess maybe I could've had 6 or 7 and been happy, but I guess God knew what would be best for me. When I was pregnant with Little Ann, I often questioned myself. I wondered how I could possibly love my new daughter with as much love as I had for my son. Did I actually have enough to go around? Oh, I did. It's still hard to understand how a mother can have so much love in her heart...and it just never goes away, no matter how many "I hate you's" she hears.

After visiting with my friend and swaddling that precious newborn baby girl, we moved up to the next floor to visit Pete's mamaw. She will be 88 in March and is in the hospital for back surgery because she fell off a ladder. A ladder people. Why would you climb a ladder if you were 88? But nothing much gets this woman down. It's unbelievable how good she still looks and acts at her age. As I looked at her petite 95 pound body lying there, I wondered just how many more years of life she actually had in her. And just as my friend's new baby was entering into this world....I know it won't be very many more years before she will be leaving...because that's what we do. We are born into this world, and then we leave it.

So many things are swimming around in my head right now. I mean what if I am drawing closer to my time of leaving. Really, none of us have the assurance of tomorrow.

James 4:14 - Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.

So what is my life? How will I spend my 2009? What will remain the same? What will I change? What will I do for God who brought me in to this world and can just as easily take me out? I know that despite conflicts in my marriage, unloving words spouted off to my children, bad decisions I continue to make, whatever it may be dragging me down... that ultimately my happiness lies within myself. I know that my life will be just exactly what I make it.

She's Here...and it's about time!

If you missed all the hype of Chickadee's big day, just scroll down and read. It was a pretty exciting but tiring day for her. I just wanted to let everyone know that the baby has finally arrived..via cesarean. I'm not sure of details like the exact time and length, etc...but my friend who is there says she resembles Milo and only weighed in at 6 pounds and 12 ounces. I will give her the glory of telling you her name and all the glorious intimate details. At least you guys can pray for them and know all is well. Goodnight.

Baby News! One More Progress Update!

Although my friend, Chickadee and I are the same age, she is much braver (or crazier) than I. For this post is not about MY baby news....(I think I would just have to committ myself), but about hers. Because not only is she my dear friend and the one who introduced me into this world of "blog", but I know we have several of the same readers, so I thought I would keep you updated on her behalf today.
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Update 5: 10:55 - I just got word that sadly, but for the best, she is going to have to resort to a cesarean section. I am assuming they are doing that right now. Not sure because they aren't letting any visitors back. Clark came out to inform family who are waiting. I hate that for her especially after 3 the other way, but she is so tired. One good thing is that she can now say she has experienced both. Please say a prayer for them tonight.

Update 4: The latest update I have just gotten is from another one of my friends who is waiting. It is 9:25 and the doctor has gone to deliver another baby as Chickadee is resting from all her hard work at the moment. No baby yet. Keep your fingers crossed...I voted for the 19th!! I'm almost there! (no, really, I wouldn't wish another 2 1/2 hours of pushing on her for any amount on a Target gift card!)

Update 3: I just got in and called Clark to check on Chickadee. He says she is in some pain, but fully dialated and ready to push. It is around 7:00 right now and the doctor is on his way. Clark seems calm. I could hear the TV in the background and he informed me he was watching an episode of Seinfield. Isn't that just like a man. This is number 4 so I guess he's used to the birthing process. I will let you know when the sweet one arrives!

Update 2: It's 2:15 and I just checked in with Chickadee and although she hasn't seen the doctor all day, the nurse has come in and determined that she has dialated to a 4. I'll be out for a while, but plan on checking back in when I get home later.

Update 1: It is around 11:20 this Thursday morning. She told us that she had to be at the hospital at 5:00 am this morning for her induction because she obviously did not go on her own. I just spoke with Clark and he informed me that she hasn't had any change since starting on the med's this morning about 8:00. I will report again soon!!

Is it Friday Yet?

So, I stayed up way too late last night waiting on a combination of things....Little Ann to empty the dishwasher so I could load it, the nice clothes to finish drying so I could get them out immediately, and Big Dan at a concert that lasted much too long for a school night. Anyway...I said all that to say...I was a little tired and cranky for my art students today and it didn't take long before my head was throbbing making it all together worse.

I can already tell this is going to be one of those weeks. I think Christmas is in the air at the High School..well, the thought of Christmas break anyway. Getting anybody to do anything but clown was next to impossible. I took my camera to try to help Big Dan get a few (required for English) Senior scrapbook pictures. See what I have to put up with?

Yes, these are Seniors, and yes, Big Dan is eating a sandwich....in Art class. What's mom gonna do..give him d-hall?

And I wish I could say they were just goofin' for pictures, but unfortunately this is really how they act on a daily basis. Maybe it's just because I'm "Big Dan's mom" and I'm just cool like that. Whatever it is...it stresses me. We'll hope my principal doesn't read my blog.

Tonight was our Girl Scout meeting and Christmas party. Look what the girls did...

Isn't this just adorable? I guess making a gingerbread house is one thing I don't think I have ever done before.

Like I said, I can feel another crazy week coming on. I am MAKING myself stay home tomorrow and get this house in order. I would absolutely DIE right now if I had company. I just want to be able to enjoy my Christmas decor without having to look at all this other clutter. You can't even get through for all the Christmas presents, boxes, wrapping paper, and paraphernalia lying around...despite the fact that Little Ann keeps reminding me that she doesn't have a gift wrapped under the tree yet..and everyone else at school does (sniff, sniff). I think she's trying to make me feel guilty. It's working. We've got church, more shopping, dress rehearsals, and more parties coming up the remainder of the week.

With December being the time everyone is preparing lots of finger food dishes (and because my pregnant friend, Chickadee is craving this), I thought I'd share the recipe on the blog. This is another one of my mom's recipes. Have I mentioned what a great cook she is?

Parmesan Chicken Wings

In a medium bowl, mix together:

1/2 c Parmesan Cheese

1 T Parsley flakes

1 t Paprika

1/2 T Oregano

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

Moisten your wings and cover with dry mixture. You can shake them in a bag (like shake n bake) or just dip individually. Place on a foil lined baking pan and bake approx. 45 minutes.

These are soooo good and perfect sized for parties. I usually double my recipe for tastier wings or a bigger serving.

And last but not least, April gave me this sweet award and I just wanted to send her a big ol' Thank You!!! This is really special because this award is supposed to be bestowed upon bloggers who aim to find and be friends and it means a lot that she would pass it on to me. April's blog is always uplifting and meaningful and she is just the sweetest thing, so go visit her if you get a chance.

A Beautiful Story

Before I get to the point of this post, I just wanted to let all my facebook and blog friends know I didn't really go blonde Thursday when I went to the beauty salon. I went in with all intentions of getting lots of highlights that would give my hair an overall blonde look, but when I got there my hairdresser decided I should mix some darker streaking in with the highlights. Normally, my analytical personality would have been tossing any detour from the original thought around for a while, but on this day, I thought...why not? So, in all reality, I'm still a red head. I'm just an assortment of shades.

(laughing)...So there you have it. And you can totally see my scalp. I'm glad I didn't have dandruff!!

Last night the girls and I got together for our monthly Bible Study. It was a special one this month because not only did we get to stuff ourselves with all kinds of delicious holiday foods, we had such sweet, sweet fellowship and had our Secret Sister reveal. I had no idea who mine was until her daughter had a little slip up a few weeks ago. lol. She was a great one!!

Notice Chickadee's baby belly. She is less than 2 weeks from her due date. We all got to ooo and ahhh over little chickadees movements and the fact that after 4 pregnancy's, she does not have ONE SINGLE STRETCH MARK!!! So, what do you think of that? That is soooo not right. I'm still stretching and marking even 10 years later!

I love the fact that we get together every month. Although we have gone to church together for years, getting together outside of church, in one another's homes, just makes our friendships so much stronger.


One of the highlights of the evening was when the Christmas story was read. What a beautiful story to be told. And although we unwrapped lots of gifts last night, when that story was being read from God's word, oh how the room was filled with tears and touched hearts just by hearing those beautiful words. Jesus Christ really is what the season is all about.

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And all went to be taxed every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over the flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men". And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into Heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is to come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2: 1-20

Have a wonderful weekend.

Thankful Thoughts

I thought long and hard about adding this song to my profile as background music during the month of November, but I know how distracting music is to me, so I chose to save it for this particular post. I was first introduced to this song when I was in college. Our MBSF choir sang it and I immediately fell in love with it. It is very fitting for Thanksgiving and I hope you will take the time to listen and meditate.



Now, with that being said, I just wanted to take a moment to share a few things I am thankful for.

First and foremost, I am so thankful for my God. I'm so unworthy and for some reason He just keeps blessing me and blessing me.

I am so very thankful for my parents. They are such wonderful people. Tonight when I went to pick up Little Ann, my dad had sent home with her the homemade butter they had churned together from his fresh cow milk. FRESH COW MILK, people. I mean, really, how many of us can say we have actually made butter with our papaw. That is some kind of memory to make and I am so thankful for those times my parents share with my kids. And my mom....well, you can read all about her here, but I must say, she sent home with me tonight 2 new monogrammed hand towels (because she said the other one hanging was worn out...lol...she notices stuff when she comes to my house) AND get this. I had been in our capital city again today with a broken laptop and she knew I was going to be behind on my cooking for tomorrow's get together with Pete's family . She got my pie started and sent it home with me!! What a mom.

I am so thankful for my friends. My past and present. I love them all and am so very thankful for them. Just yesterday I reunited with my first and only college roommate.

We had a delicious lunch and spent a lot of time talking and laughing about old times. She taught me well how to sow my wild oats...lol. (and I told her I was giving her that credit). I'm glad we were able to spend this time together and I hope we can do it again.

I am so thankful for my family. My children are blessings from Heaven and I couldn't love them more (even when I don't feel the love back). I think my heart will just explode sometimes with the love I have for them. And my husband. He is such a good man. He puts up with so much out of me. I know he loves me even when I am constantly complaining, turning the air up to 80, habitually late, forgetting where I left my head, too afraid to leave my comfort zone, leaving my flat iron on for the entire day, showing my blond roots by some insane comment that makes no sense to him, burning him up because I have my electric blanket on in July, and even when he spends days searching for socks that really should be in his drawer. What can I say. Gotta love me!

And I could go on and on. God has been good to me even though I don't deserve it. I am just a simple girl living my simple life, undeserving.

Most wonderful wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving.

A Little Boring Conversation

My apologies early on for this extra ordinary b-o-r-i-n-g post. Not much has been going on today and I refuse to whine anymore...at least for today. (I only have an hour left so maybe that's do-able)

Got this email a few days ago. Love it.

Tonight was our regular Girl Scouts meeting. The girls are working on designing an ornament made out of natural resources for a contest. The entries are displayed at the county courthouse and the girls are invited to a Christmas tea, I guess you could say to view the entries. This year they designed their own tree out of pine cones. The star is from pine straw and of course the snow is cotton and the lights and ornaments are hand made. It turned out cute. Hope we win!


And I blogged about putting my own tree up as well. Little Ann and I did this on Saturday. I always enjoy just sitting in the living room with the overhead and lamp lights off just taking in the beauty of the sparkling tree. When Little Ann was a baby her first Christmas, we spent countless hours at night rocking by the light of the tree. My mother bought me a few new ornaments when she was out shopping the other day. Yea! She loves me. She really loves me.

Tomorrow I am getting my laptop back. I am so excited. Now I can revert back to my old lazy lifestyle of blogging and facebooking in the comfort of my own bed. Wow. What is this world coming to? lol.

I am also having lunch with a very old friend of mine whom I have not seen in approximately 18 or so years. We have had some contact over the years, but we have not actually laid eyes on one another since college. She was my very first (and only) college roommate. I'm hoping after lunch we may have a little time to do some Christmas shopping. Tommorow is the kid's last day of school for the week and Little Ann will be spending a little quality time with my parents.

And that pretty much sums it up. (And I didn't whine at all!)

Spoiler!...Cute Guys Ahead.

If you read my post yesterday, you know what we did last night. Oh my. It was the greatest night...and to think...it was all because Chickadee's Clark had a birthday!! Clark was our chauffeur since he was the only man and since it was his birthday he got to choose the Cracker Barrel for dinner. He also got chosen to be our photographer before we left Cracker Barrel's front porch full of benches and rocking chairs.

The rest of the night was spent rockin' out and goo-goo-ing and ga-ga-ing over Mac Powell and the rest of the band. I felt like a school girl again. I hadn't been this excited over a concert since seeing REO Speedwagon at the Arkansas State Fair my freshman year in college. I (sort of) forgot my 300 lens...actually at the last minute I talked myself out of bringing it because it's heavy and I didn't think I would like keeping up with it or changing out lenses during the night. Besides, from my ticket, I knew we were on the 11th row and I just knew I would be able to see and get some great shots. Not.

Sometimes being 5'2" is a total disadvantage...especially when everyone around you is standing and you get stuck right behind a very tall dude with a buzzed head. This was my view starting out.

It seems a little better than it was because I actually cropped the picture somewhat to get rid of more heads that continually bobbed in my way. Not for long though. About 2 songs into the concert, I had had all me and my nosy, want to be up close and personal, extroverted personality could stand, so I looked at my girls, said "I'll be back", and took off for the front row. Everyone was standing so they didn't really know if I belonged or not.

This was much better. Nothing between me and Third Day but a stage and a security guard.

I met another girl who had the same idea as I. We talked camera talk for a moment the best we could trying to figure out the best setting for stage lighting (with speakers in our ears pounding bass so loud my heart was about to explode), and before we knew it they had snuck down right into the middle of the crowd.

We took off and parked ourselves on the floor right under their noses. We sat right next to many young ladies under the age of 16, (that probably thought we were much too old to be as pushy as we were), but we were determined to get some good shots...and that we did. Can't get much closer than this.

When they moved back to stage, I had decided it was time to join my group and brag a little. The show was awesome. There were 2 bands that opened for them. "Revive" and "Need to Breath". Both bands did a great job. I think "Third Day" was actually on stage for about a 2 hour show. It was totally worth my $25.

Third Day didn't sign autographs, but their opening act, "Revive" did, and gladly posed for a picture.

Hey, did you notice I added Third Day's new album button to my side bar? I'm going to promote it a little. The album is great and not only is he very pretty to look at, Mac is an excellent singer. And all giddiness aside, I love what they stand for and the messages to their songs. You're sure to love it too so..go get it!

Have a great weekend!